Meth Lab Seizures, Workplace Use Decline

Monday, June 19th 2006, 10:53 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Bush administration says police seizures of meth labs was down more than 30 percent last year as states and drugstore chains began limiting access to ingredients used in making the drug.

Oklahoma was the first state to adopt a law allowing only drugstores to sell common cold medicines that contain the key ingredient pseudoephedrine. Anyone buying the medicines must show an ID and sign for it and the amount that can be bought is limited.

The report says the number of meth labs found in Oklahoma last year was down 68 percent.

Another report from the nation's largest drug testing company says the number of job applicants and workers who tested positive for meth is down 31 percent for the first five months of this year.

White House drug czar John Walters says the two reports show efforts to restrict chemicals and educate the public about meth addiction are finally paying off.

But some lawmakers say the credit belongs to state and local governments and that the federal government is trying to cut federal spending to law enforcement to fight meth.